ST. PETERSBURG — The Tampa Bay Rays squandered a dramatic ninth-inning comeback and fell 4-3 to the Baltimore Orioles in 10 innings Saturday night, dropping consecutive games for the first time since a five-game losing streak from July 12-19.
Richie Palacios came to the plate with two runners on and two outs in the 10th, fouling two choppers down the right-field line before hammering a changeup that landed in foul territory. He went down swinging on the next pitch to end the game in front of 28,055 fans — the highest attendance at the ballpark since May 7, 2023.
“I think we’ll rattle off nine more wins. That’s just the way I think about it. I don’t think we’ll buy too much into two losses in a row,” closer Bryan Baker said. “We’ve got plenty of baseball left, and we’re in a really good spot, so we’ll be good.”
The Rays, who still hold a 6 1/2-game edge over the Yankees for the American League’s best record, had clawed back in the ninth. With two outs, Yandy Díaz singled to center off Andrew Kittredge, Jonathan Aranda laced a hit through the right side, and Junior Caminero chopped a grounder toward third that Christian Encarnacion-Strand couldn’t handle, tying the game as pinch-runner Jorge Mateo scored.
“He’s come up big so many times for us this year. Sometimes you don’t have to hit it 110 mph. You’ll take the chopper that plays in the infield,” manager Kevin Cash said. “He was pumped. Really ignited our crowd, and what a great crowd we had.”
Baker immediately surrendered the go-ahead run in the 10th on a Tyler O’Neill single, handing the Rays their fifth extra-inning defeat. “Tough to lose a ballgame on a runner that didn’t earn his way there, but just got to execute better whenever they are out there and try not to give up any singles,” Baker said.
Tampa Bay finished 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position. A fourth-inning rally stalled when Jonny DeLuca, Cedric Mullins and Palacios went down in order against Orioles starter Kyle Bradish, who gave up two runs in six innings. “Felt like we had some innings maybe starting to go our way,” Cash said, “but their pitching did a nice job.”
Left-hander Ian Seymour allowed three runs in six innings while striking out nine, his third straight quality start and the sixth time in 10 outings since June 25 he pitched at least six innings while allowing three runs or fewer. Solo homers by Pete Alonso in the fifth and Encarnacion-Strand in the sixth proved costly. “Just can’t give up a home run in those situations in a tight ballgame,” Seymour said. “Maybe it doesn’t hurt you if you’re up by five, but in a one-run game, I’ve just got to make some better decisions and execute a little bit better.”
The Rays continue the homestand against Baltimore with the series finale Sunday at Tropicana Field.